Hearts Connected Pt II
by Haylestorm12
Summary: Continuation of Hearts Connected


Hearts Connected: Part II

Chapter One

Two weeks later…

Elizabeth's night dress was soaked in sweat, her eyes wide and heart racing, as she once again adjusted to her surroundings after a fitful night filled with traumatic nightmares. It was the same, predictable nightmare she had experienced since her discharge from the hospital ten days prior: frightened and running down a maze of narrow dark halls, Elizabeth would try to elude the presence of the evil, dark shadow. A murky light would beckon her from the distance where she would follow and end up finding a bloodied body on the ground. The body would open their death-laden eyes with a look of sheer hate and exclaim; " _You did this to me."_

It was Jack. Always Jack.

Each night for the past ten days, Elizabeth had been tormented with having to experience the loss of Jack again and again, her emotions as vivid as the day when she had held Jack's cold hand and pleaded for his life on the freighter. And each night, Elizabeth would have to face the wrath of Jack's death-bed stare as he held _her_ accountable for his pain.

Elizabeth sat up and held her head in her hands as she tried to force the ungodly sights that were still flashing behind her eyes and will them out of her head, away from her for good. With each passing day, it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to brush off her nightly torment as a simple dream and, instead, Elizabeth was beginning to interpret it's incessant override of her mental faculties as a warning that something was amiss. A sign from the heavens, so to speak, with a message that Elizabeth was not ready to face quite yet.

As she looked at her bedside clock, Elizabeth shot out of bed and scrambled to her closet, her heart instantly warming to the remembrance of what this day would bring. A slow smile spread across her face as she recalled that today Jack would be released from the hospital. Although not yet cleared for travel, Jack would finally be able to leave the confines of his recovery room at the Hamilton General and be welcomed into her family's home for the remainder of his recovery.

This last thought brought a flash of unease to Elizabeth as she worried about any potential confrontations between Jack and her parents. As much as she still loved her father, she was careful to completely trust him again as the pain in remembering his acceptance of Charles and his lying antics after her accident were still fresh in her mind. And her heart. Elizabeth recalled the cold and stony encounters she had had with Mr. Thatcher since his release from custody a week ago and realized most, if not all, of the ill feelings stemmed from her attitude towards him. And, as grateful as she was that her father had opened his home to Jack, Elizabeth wasn't sure his intentions were completely honorable and felt they could be partly motivated to stay on the right side of the law, his recent stint behind bars a mere reminder to keep enemies close at hand.

Realizing she was wasting precious time, quickly dressed and readied herself to meet her family's driver. Hopefully, Elizabeth thought, Jack's release from the hospital today would spell an end to her nightly torment.

"Now remember Constable, don't overdo things. Just because we are releasing you from our care, does not mean you are 100% recovered. You will still need to remain on bed rest for the next week to ensure your incisions heal completely. But...I'm sure the Thatcher's have hired only the best private nurse available and trust she can continue with the care you require.." Dr. Baker spoke.

Jack smiled widely and regarded the doctor with much appreciation. "Of course, Dr. Baker. Don't you worry. Now...if you wouldn't mind signing me out of here...I'm sorry to say I feel like one of the many criminals I've put behind bars…."

"Ahem." A familiar voice interrupted Jack's meeting with Dr. Baker.

Jack turned his head to the door to find William Thatcher standing patiently, a subtle smile touching the corners of his mouth. "Well...I assure you Constable, this room and it's attendants offer much more comfort than anything available behind bars. And that's coming from me...someone who experienced the best hospitality of what the Royal Mounted Police have to offer." A small chuckle escaped his throat.

Dr. Baker looked at the two men and moved to the door. "I'll have the nurse bring by your release papers shortly. Don't forget what I said." Dr. Baker looked at Jack knowingly and retreated into the bustling hallway.

Jack smiled warmly in return to William's soft laugh and attempted to stand in welcome. William put up his hand to protest and continued. "Please, don't get up on my account. I've just stopped by to see if you will be in need of anything else before you leave. Grace has assured me your room is ready and the nurse we hired will be arriving later today."

Jack looked down awkwardly before replying. "No, Mr. Thatcher. You and your family have done more than enough. I can't begin to tell you how helpful and kind…"

William proceeded to cut Jack off mid-sentence. "Jack. It's nothing compared to what you've done to keep my daughter safe. You are the one that needs to be thanked. I am extremely grateful for everything you've done but there's something else I need your help with." William raised his eyebrows before continuing with his request.

Jack instantly knew William was referring to Elizabeth and quickly interjected. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes. How did you know." William asked.

"I've been worried about her too. She just hasn't seemed like herself lately. I think _she_ thinks she is putting up a good front, but...I can tell the events of the past couple of weeks have taken their toll. Have you had a chance to speak to her?" Jack looked up at William hopefully.

William sighed and looked down at the scuff on his right shoe, a mere distraction from the burden of guilt resting on his shoulders when he thought of Elizabeth's withdrawal from his life. He shook his head back and forth. "No, I haven't had the chance to. Everytime I try to broach the subject Elizabeth stiffens up and looks at me like I'm speaking another language. She can't even bring herself to say more than two words to me at a time. I'm beyond frustrated but I don't want to push her off the edge…"

Jack slowly stood, wincing slightly at the pain in his stitches as he straightened himself to full height, enough to look William directly in the eyes. "I'll speak to her. I'm hoping that Elizabeth and I will have more opportunities to talk about all that's happened once I'm settled at your home. And hopefully…." Jack stalled slightly. "I'll be able to talk enough sense into her to allow her to hear you out."

"Hear you out on what, Father?" Elizabeth interjected sharply.

William spun around quickly at Elizabeth's question and he looked at his daughter with as much love as he could muster. "Elizabeth, my dear. I just stopped in to make sure Jack has everything he needs for his release today. I know how anxious you two are for him to leave…"

"Thank-you Father. But you know Mother and I have everything covered." As the icy words left her mouth Elizabeth instantly felt regret when she saw the affect they had on her Father. As much as she still loved the man, the only thing preventing her from running into her Father's arms with apologies was the ever-present memory of his cooperation with Charles.

"Jack." William offered his hand for Jack to shake. "I will see you at dinner tonight...and my dear Elizabeth…" William turned to look at his daughter. "I would love nothing more than to have a word with you when you return home. There are matters we need to discuss." He put his hands on each of her shoulders and delicately kissed his daughter on her forehead where the bruising from her accident had almost completely receded. William then purposefully walked out of the room, leaving a speechless Elizabeth in his wake.

Elizabeth shook off her trance and turned to Jack. "Jack? What's that all about?"

"What's what all about?" Jack responded, confused.

"You. My father. The fact that you two seem to be on friendly terms all of a sudden. What gives?" Elizabeth inquired, a look of slight revulsion apparent in her features.

"Is there something wrong with your father and I being on friendly terms, Elizabeth? Isn't that what you've wanted all along?" Jack looked at her, concerned for her burgeoning paranoia.

"It is...but." Elizabeth stopped and looked at Jack, careful to note the truth in his words. "I'm sorry Jack. It's just...I don't know if I can fully trust him anymore. He wanted me to marry that psychopath, for goodness sakes! How am I supposed to just get over that…?" Elizabeth was beginning to reach a clearly agitated state and Jack quickly grabbed both of her hands in his to help bring calm.

"Elizabeth. There are things you need to know about your father...about why he stood behind Charles for so long. You need to give your father a chance and hear him out. I'm sure if you simply gave him an opportunity to explain…"

"What, exactly, has my father confided in you, Jack?" Elizabeth brought her eyes to slits as she felt a pang of jealously and instantly pulled her hands out of Jack's grasp.

"I'm not at liberty to say. And if I'm allowed to be completely honest here...I think it would do you a world of good to hear it directly from him." Jack reached out to rest a comforting hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, but was stopped midway by a burning pain in his side, his hand falling to his thigh.

A feeling of frustrating rage was beginning to erupt within Elizabeth, blinding her from noticing Jack's inability to raise his hand to comfort her, as she felt pressured to conform to another's viewpoint. "If _I_ could be completely honest here, Jack, I would say mind your own business. Any issues between my father and I are just that. This doesn't concern you." Elizabeth spun around and looked up to the bare ceiling, her arms crossed in front of her body in an effort to stabilize herself from the bad feelings being stirred up between them.

Silence hung heavily in the air as both parties, confused by each other's actions, waited for the other to speak first. Jack let out a slow breath and stared longingly at the back of Elizabeth's head, noticing that her once carefully coiffed locks were haphazardly thrown into a simple braid. He carefully spoke. "At least you still have a father to speak to, Elizabeth." Jack noticed Elizabeth's reaction to his words as her back instantly straightened, her arms falling limp to her sides.

Elizabeth closed her eyes to contain the tears that were forming and turned around to face Jack. She reached up with her right hand to rest it on his cheek and looked deeply into his newly-worried eyes, a reflection of confused sadness resting within his orbs. "I'm sorry Jack. You're right...I _should_ talk to my father. Settle these bad feelings between us so that we can move forward."

Jack moved to wrap his arms gently around Elizabeth's torso and pulled her towards him, her body pressed neatly against his, as he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. "Are you _sure_ you're okay, Elizabeth. I'm worried about you...you don't seem like yourself?"

Flustered, Elizabeth momentarily tried to break their connection but Jack held her strong in his grasp against himself. She spoke, realizing her escape from his arms was futile. "It's just a nagging headache I've had for a bit...nothing to be overly concerned about. Dr. Baker told me it's a residual side effect from my accident and should eventually disappear. Please don't worry about me, Jack. I'm more worried for you…"

Jack stopped Elizabeth mid-sentence with his lips meeting hers, a feeling that had only gotten stronger since the first time they had kissed. Lost within the sweet sensation of his lips urging her to respond to his affections, Elizabeth surrendered herself to his embrace and the increasingly passionate display of love from this man who always made her feel cherished and safe.

If only they could stay like this forever, Elizabeth had thought, before being abruptly interrupted by a body at the door. The amorous couple stopped their increasingly passionate interlude and looked to see who was waiting for their attention.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what the doctor has prescribed you, brother, cause let me tell you...I sure as _hell_ didn't receive that kind of treatment when I was here." It was Tom. A wide toothy smile pasted on his face as he teasingly taunted his older brother.

"Tom!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you didn't receive the telegram. Is Julie with you?"

"Yes. She's settling in with your mother. I couldn't wait for Jack to be given his walking papers and thought I'd come by and see if you two need any help getting home." Tom replied happily.

Jack slowly released Elizabeth from his embrace and walked over to hug his younger brother, Tom's arms strongly wrapping themselves around Jack's shoulders as they silently said their greetings. Pulling away, Jack asked curiously. "Home? Where are you staying Tom?"

"With the Thatcher's, of course. Julie's father, I mean...Mr. Thatcher picked us up at the train station this morning and told me he wouldn't accept me staying any other place. It was rather odd, considering he almost had me arrested for that auto accident in the summer, but he seemed very genuine. And me...I'm not one to turn down an offer to stay with my sweetheart." He winked coyly at Jack.

Confusion clouded Elizabeth's reaction to Tom's admission as she couldn't fathom _why_ , so suddenly, her father had completely changed his attitude towards the two Thoronton boys. A duo who, only weeks before, had been viewed with disdain and superiority due to their 'unfortunate' station in life. Shaking her head slightly to brush off her conflicting thoughts, Elizabeth looked upon Jack and Tom and smiled genuinely at their brotherly interactions, a small stab of happiness piercing her heart as she realized Jack's outcome after the Charles debacle could have been much different

"You two catch up while I go and find that darned nurse with Jack's release papers." Elizabeth made a motion to leave the room but Jack swiftly caught her hand and stopped her, suprising her by pressing a bold kiss to her lips before releasing her to continue on her way.

"Hurry back." Jack grinned happily and watched her retreat, his brother a happy distraction from the subtle despondency creeping into Elizabeth's soul.


End file.
